Blackout, snap elections make country target for disinformation

Misinformation exploited the power blackout during the election campaign, creating narratives and conspiracy theories originating in Russia to discredit Western media, according to the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO).

According to a report released on Thursday by the EDMO, “with legislative elections scheduled for 18 May, disinformation immediately began to exploit the blackout incident that occurred on 28 April” in the Iberian Peninsula, while many conspiracy theories were detected, as well as disinformation consistent with well-known Russian disinformation narratives.

The report said that it was falsely claimed that Western media and European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen wrongly accused Russia of being responsible for the blackout.

For example, a text attributed to CNN, apparently signed by Brussels, pointed to “Russian state-backed groups” as responsible for an alleged cyberattack that had hit 15 European countries.

The article, which included false statements attributed to the President of the European Commission, was not published on CNN, and CNN Portugal even denied the information.

In the case of the blackout, the report pointed out that the false stories promoted various conspiracy theories, such as about a “rare atmospheric phenomenon” and an “induced atmospheric vibration”, attacked “green” policies, and spread fear, exaggeration and panic.

In Portugal, a significant portion of the false content detected is consistent with ongoing Russian disinformation operations to discredit Western media and create confusion in Western societies.

Recently, a pro-Russian disinformation campaign was identified that was spreading false claims about the blackout in Spain and Portugal on social media, attributing the power failure to European sanctions against Moscow.

In addition to the blackout, the report also said that Ukrainians were targeted by a false story accusing them of conspiring to obtain Portuguese citizenship, and the European Union (EU) was accused in a false story (also detected in Greece, Poland, Slovenia, Bulgaria, and France) of planning to replace cash with the “digital euro” within a few months.

On 28 April, a widespread power cut left mainland Portugal, Spain and Andorra with virtually no electricity and part of France.

Closed airports, transport and traffic congestion in major cities and fuel shortages were some consequences of the blackout.